An Inaugural Identity Symposium, Exploring Identity, Heritage, and Community Across Generations.

​Tickets are limited; Registration required in advance by Wednesday, Nov. 4.

As the Okinawan community evolves across generations, geographies, and lived experiences, many Uchinānchu navigate identities that are Okinawan, Japanese, American, mixed-race, multilingual, and multicultural. Through four moderated panels exploring Okinawan identity, the role of Kenjinkais in North America, cultural revitalization, and Okinawan futurism, the symposium invites meaningful conversations about belonging, heritage, and the future of our community.

The Champloo Symposium has been a labor of love for OAANY, and we look forward to bringing together Okinawans, friends of Okinawa, scholars, artists, community leaders, and curious minds from across the country for a day of yuntaku (conversation), connection, reflection, and imagining what comes next. Open to everyone, regardless of Okinawan identity or background, the symposium creates space to explore what it means to be Okinawan today and what that might look like tomorrow.

Symposium Topics | Each panel will follow a yuntaku or conversational format, giving our panelists room to share their perspectives and personal experiences.

​Okinawa Across Borders — Geographic & Identity Perspectives
With Dr. Mitzi Uehara Carter, Maia Hibbett, Momi Cummings, and Sabien Taylor
How do race, geography, generation, and lived experience shape our understanding of Okinawan identity? This panel explores the diverse and intersecting experiences of Uchinānchu across generations, diasporic communities, ancestral roots, and perspectives, illuminating the many ways Okinawan identity is understood, experienced, and expressed.

Kenjinkai Conversations — Community, Connection & Belonging
With Kenjinkai Presidents Linda Asato (Chicago), and Nariko Addaman (North Carolina), and Mariko Middleton (New York / North East), and Naomi Folta
What role do prefectural associations play today? How does geography shape the culture and needs of our communities? And how can we serve both older and younger generations as our communities become more geographically dispersed and increasingly virtual? Hear from 3 Kenjinkai Presidents on how we are are cultivaing and serving our communities.

Reclaiming Ryukyu — Identity, Scholarship & Academia
With Dr. Wesley Ueunten, Dr. Co Shigeko Lewis, Dr. Lex McClellan Ufugusuku, and Zack Edwards
How are we preserving Okinawan culture and carrying it forward? Through historical research, the revitalization of hajichi (Okinawan tattooing), and efforts to preserve Uchinaaguchi, we’ll explore the challenges and possibilities of reclaiming our heritage for future generations.

​Okinawa Futurism — Evolving Okinawan Spaces
With Yumi Sakugawa, Gwyneth Yuma, Aya Trussell, and Ari Rueda
What might Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands look like in 10, 50, or 100 years? As our communities evolve and become increasingly interconnected, we’ll explore and imagine how Okinawan identities, cultural spaces, and possibilities might transform in a changing world—and what futures we can create together.

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